Redhill Junior Technical School

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Following is an internet version of my memories of my time at "The Tech. I am curently having serious medical problems and will tidy up this paper when the opportunity arises.
Bill Marsh, July 2006.

Well! I made efforts to obtain input from other old boys and received some input - many thanks to the contributors. I also received promises that were not fulfilled. So! This paper is mostly about me. So be it!
Bill Marsh, 10 May 2006

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The period was known as the dirty thirties; jobs were scarce and those who had jobs had little money to spare. Education for most people consisted of elementary school only, and out to work at 14 years. High schools were, in general, for the affluent. However, some scholarship openings were available for a few. The procedure, as I recall, comprised two written examinations, which eliminated students in two stages; those lucky or smart enough to survive the elimination process were then required to appear before a board of examiners for oral questioning - I made it that far. Dressed in my Sunday best I duly presented myself with much trepidation. At this time I can remember only one question, I think it was the first, “What does your father do for a living?” I replied “Railway Carriage Cleaner.” Should I have said Chargehand Carriage Cleaner or Foreman Carriage Cleaner? I didn’t make the cut. So! What was left for me? At 12 years I was already repeating the highest level at St Martins Church School in Dorking - I used to be sent to look after the Standards 1 and 2 class if the teacher was away for an hour or two. The one hope for any further education for me was a scholarship to Redhill Tech.

The headmaster at St Martins, Mr C.J.Boulter, was a kindly gentleman - he had been a teacher in army schools in India - and he, along with teacher, Mr G H Trevena, undertook to give me some coaching for the Redhill Tech entrance examinations. The day came for the written examination, there appeared to be a couple of hundred boys writing. One task we were given was to make a free-hand sketch of a hairbrush from memory. As I proceeded forward to hand in my paper I recall glancing at the work of a lad in front of me and was astounded by the quality of his work - what hope was there for me? I later learned the lad’s name was Wilson. Anyhow, I made that cut and now faced the oral examination.

Oh! The sweat I worked up over facing another board of oral examiners; I had learned that one of those who had been on the high school board would most likely be there - and he was! Stories about the type of questions I might be asked abounded - “How many steps did you climb up on entering the Technical School?” “What industries did you pass on your way to the examination?” While waiting my turn, the word was spread around that one question being asked was something like “You are a passenger in a car, the driver becomes ill, what would you do? There were hurried consultations one with another on that one. There was relief at home and at St Martins when notification was received that I had passed muster and Mr Boulter purchased my first school cap.

Did any boys qualify for scholarships and not attend? Were others, worthy of the opportunity of a technical education, unable to become pupils because of circumstances? I do recall one boy of Dorking who fell into this category - he came from a very large, poor family. He approached me about the subjects and any costs beyond the assistance normally provided to those granted scholarships. Unfortunately, I believe his decision was based on the family needs and he did not attend.

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INTRODUCTION

Students attending Redhill Tech came from an area extending throughout the surrounding region, consequently many had to find travel and lunch-hour meal facilities. As a scholarship recipient living in Dorking I was provided with a railway season ticket and free lunches.

TRANSPORTATION

Phil Humphreys did the commute between Godstone and Redhill by bus and reports that it was an uneventful trip.

There are three railway stations in Dorking. In 1937/1938 the stations were named Dorking Town (west end) and Deepdene (east end), on the Guildford to Redhill line, and Dorking North (east end) on the Horsham to Epsom line. Students living in Dorking would join and depart the train at either Dorking Town or Deepdene, while those from places such as Ockley would have to travel via Dorking North and resort to shank’s pony between Dorking North and Deepdene.

Steam locomotives were used to haul the rolling stock along the Redhill line. The unpleasant odours accompanying the belching smoke from the locomotives, especially when tackling an up gradient, gave rise to comments such as “Who let that one?” accompanied by grimaces and roars of ribald laughter. A form of reciprocation occurred when, away from the railway, nostrils were offended by an obnoxious effluvium, in this case the nature of the question was “Who’s been eating “Welsh anthracite.”

School authorities were not consulted by the Railway when train times were established. The evening train from Redhill to Dorking departed at 4.04 pm. In general, teachers were cooperative and allowed Dorking students to depart classes five minutes early so that they could negotiate the steps down from the Tech, race to the station and climb the many steps up to the platform. If one missed the 4.04 there was an almost 1½ - hour wait until the 5.28 pm train. If one was so inclined, the time could be used to complete homework assignments in the platform waiting room.

Hi jinks during the train journey were not unknown. There would be Reigate Grammar School students waiting at the crossing gate as the 4.04 pulled out of Reigate station; great targets for sundry missiles and water pistols. Most students travelled in groups or pairs, taking over otherwise empty compartments. A form of initiation for students travelling the line was to select a compartment ahead of the unsuspecting victim(s); a newspaper was then torn up into very small squares; after determining that the victims had left a compartment window open, the pranksters waited for the train to pick up speed on the run between Reigate and Betchworth; they would then release handfuls of the paper which would be carried by the slipstream into the compartment of the victim(s), swirling around and covering walls, seats and the floor. Invariably the victims hastened to clean up the mess.

From Janet Clemence, daughter of Bob Fishlock: “One of my Dad’s train stories involved a boy losing his trousers, which were passed along the train by being handed out the window. Inevitably someone failed to catch them and the boy had to borrow a large blazer to walk home through Dorking town.”

LUNCH

An early comment (not by me) at my table during the 2000 reunion of Redhill Tech graduates was “Remember Tiller(s) the Killer(s).” Do I Ever! Tillers was not the Ritz, but they put on, for me anyway, a life-saving plain old-fashioned meal; I especially remember the suet pudding and custard; much appreciated on a cold, damp day. I was somewhat dismayed with the actions of some older boys who felt it was a great joke to hassle Mr Tiller by complaining that they had found insects in their food, even producing dead beetles, flies etc. Mr Tiller would come storming out of the kitchen, his moustache bristling. Other jokers would flick food items up to the ceiling to see if they could get it to stick there, some did. For my part, “Many thanks Mr Killer! Ahem! Tiller.”

Henry Thompson remembers “picking up doughnuts and fish and chips for lunch at the bakery and fish shop in Station Road and Cromwell Road.”

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Following the notification of my acceptance to the Redhill Tech, Mr Boulter of St Martins took steps to find out how I had placed among those taking the entrance examinations. He refused to tell me whether I had done well or just scraped by, but said he would do so after the first term results were in, and if my form position was better than my examination position. This put the pressure on me to produce results and I worked hard to make sure that I fulfilled his hopes.

The first couple of weeks were spent getting adapted to the curriculum, meeting classmates and establishing friendships. Our form master was Mr. E.W. Saggerson, a genial fellow. There were 24 of us in the form - a collage comprising photo extracts of Mr Saggerson and form members appears on the next page. My travel companion was Basil Spencer; Henry Thompson became a close friend. I eventually learned that I had a family connection to Philip Humphreys; two of my mother’s sisters married brothers of his father. For the most part, members of the form were a great bunch.

I worked diligently and I was fortunate enough to record a 1st place finish at the end of my first term and proudly presented my report to Mr Boulter declaring that I must have done better than in the exam. The response was that I had exceeded my entrance examination position by one place.

The above photos have been extracted from the school photo on page 3. I was able to identify only 21 of the 24 who were in the form and have found names for only 12. I would appreciate hearing from anybody who can identify persons in the form.

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ACADEMICS

I kept my nose to the grindstone throughout my two years at Redhill Tech. I did have some lapses, for what reason I cannot recall. My best subjects were Mathematics, Physics, and Mechanics, followed by Practical Geometry, and Engineering and Building Drawing. My form positions over the six terms were one 5th place, one 3rd, one 2nd and three 1st.

We had one boy in the form who was way below par academically, the puzzle was, how did he gain admission? I recall toward the end of 1938, even the strict Mr Mason was baffled as to how to deal with the boy when homework was not handed in. When requested for the work, the boy just looked at Mr Mason and grinned stupidly from ear to ear. Did Mr Mason berate the boy? Not on your Nelly. He cajoled the lad with a smile, and pleaded with him, but never received the homework. My understanding was that the lad in question had a mother with money and possibly influence; he always had cash and would do many odd things. I do not consider some of his actions in classroom suitable for description here. He would frustrate the local tricycle ice cream vendor by ordering one of the long triangular, flavoured penny ices and tendering a pound note in payment. One could sometimes find him near the pedestrian tunnel that ran uder the railway line. He would place a large cannon firework in a crevice and light it when somebody entered the tunnel at the far end. The last I heard of him, during WW2, was a rumour that he was a captain in the army - perhaps he ended up a general!

There was a bundle of long metal tubing at the back of the drawing lab. During the absence of a teacher, boys used to blow through them to make sounds much like an alpine horn. One day one boy, I believe it was Wilson, was caught in the act when Mr Crossley unexpectantly entered the room. Mr Crossley then required the miscreant to drag the end of a tube to the front of the class and perform. Another drawing lab memory was the requirement to be in possession of a special piece of wood, which hung at the front of the lab, as the authority to leave the room to visit the washroom. Thus only one boy at a time could leave the lab - no congregating or idling allowed.

Henry Thompson writes “The English classes were under Stone and History with Bentley (his deliberate way of relating the subject enabled me, and others, to do the digest of the lecture we were given for homework as he spoke).”

WORKSHOPS

My first attempt at the initial metalwork project was not a great success, however from then on I did reasonably well in both metalworking and woodworking. I enjoyed both of these activities and several of my completed projects were retained for many years - one was a bedside table.

I had a good training in safety techniques during woodworking classes at Dorking and I never suffered any injury during workshop sessions. However, I was the victim of a prank outside the end of the workshops facing Redstone Hill. There was a raised section there with a metal rail between wooden posts. At the time, a portion of the rail was bent, but the endhad been forced into its hole in one of the wooden posts. I was standing talking to somebody and placed my hand over the top of the post, whereupon somebody kicked the post to release the rail which sprang up and then down onto my middle finger nail. The nail hung off my finger by the edges and the finger bled profusely. Mr Bently gave first aid treatment.

SPORTS

Oh! Yes! There was a junior soccer team in the 1937/1938 season; we may not have attracted soccer scouts from Manchester United or Arsenal, but we played the game and we played it with spirit. We did have some excellent players; e.g. Peter Wakeman, but overall we were no match for the powerhouse team at that time, which I believe was the Frenches Road School. My preferred position was right half or full back, but in the absence of anybody aspiring to make the England team as a goalie, I was given that spot. I had to face one penalty to be taken by a Frenches Road player. This fellow was only small, but he was a dynamo. He placed the ball and slowly stepped back to his take off position. Where would he aim the ball, to my right, to my left, up, or down; should I try to anticipate his shot. I looked him in the eye, should I dive one way or the other, he gave no indication of his intent. He began his runup, I was facing an express train at full speed. My God! the ball is coming like a rocket. I was rooted to my spot in the centre of the goal mouth Wham! the ball hit the right-hand post and bounced directly toward me, I quickly grabbed and cleared it, breathing a sigh of relief. The penalty kicker was so mortified, I felt sorry for him. The full back who committed the foul apologised for placing me in such a predicament. You won’t find the 1937/1938 junior team in the glory record books, but we were there and we played the game.

From Henry Thompson “Oh I do remember our weekly event to St Annes playing field for sports afternoons - playing for the Tech at soccer” also “I was interested to read in the book (Tom Slaughter’s) at page 122 that the Tech beat (Reigate) Parish 2 -1 at soccer. My claim to fame would be that I would have been on the Reigate Parish team that day in October 1936 and the Tech must have had a good team then since the Parish was a team of note.”

Our form turned out for regular cross-country runs and competed in the annual handicapped event. My only memory of that was a senior from Dorking passing me and wanting to know how far ahead were others from his form. I do recall running in the 1938 sports-day mile along with dozens of others. My understanding was that one of the masters usually made an amateur film of the race each year, so most boys were encouraged to enter. The film was then to be shown before an assembly - I do not recall seeing a film played.

As in soccer, Peter Wakeman was the star of ouyr form, his specialty being the high jump. Peter was a very versatile athlete and much admired.

I know little about what went on at the swimming pool because I did not attend the sessions there. I have always had a problem with sudden cramps in my legs when in the water. I did learn to swim while at elementary school, but have been cautious ever since. I mention the swimming pool because of an incident there. There were reports of money and other items being removed from clothes in the dressing room, so some money was doctored with dye and planted in clothes. The culprit was caught “redhanded,” or was the colour purple? Further investigation revealed that the thief had also been stealing from stamp collections and selling the stamps at school; those of us who had purchased stamps were required to return them without compensation. The boy concerned was a very intelligent lad, possibly the brightest in the form, his punishment at the school was expulsion, reducing our numbers to 23.

MUSIC AND ARTS

Attempts were made to involve our form in a bamboo flute group and at another time a play, but the ideas fell through for lack of interest.

EXCURSIONS

There were organized trips to places of interest. I remember a trip to see the Aldershot Tattoo. Phil Humphreys allowed me to copy a snap he took of a Sunderland Flying Boat, I believe taken on a trip to Southampton.

BULLYING AND HARASSING

There were cases of bullying and harassing while I was at Redhill Tech, some of it was just plain foolishness. The fact is, it was present. Any sign of weakness was an invitation to the sadistic streak in some boys. Within our form, I saw one teacher openly defied and intimidated in class. The same boy responsible for this incident also harassed the caretaker who had set up a makeshift tuckshop facility. One boy was so scared of oppressors that at the close of morning sessions he would not wait to eat his lunch, but ran off into town to hide. There were boys who would track him down and just chase him through the streets. There was a period when kneeing unsuspecting boys in the groin was considered by a some to be a great sport. Usually no serious injury was inflicted, but I was given to understand that one boy had to quit school because of injuries he suffered in this manner - he came back some months later. I would suggest that anybody who doubts that bullying did occur take off their rose-coloured glasses.

I met “S” about 60 years after leaving school and he told me that he still bore a grudge against, and would never forgive, “Fatty” for having sat on him during one train ride all the way from Redhill to Deepdene.

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As our course-completion date of December approached, the search for job placements became the priority issue. The RAF Aircraft Apprentices programme appealed to me, but my mother was strongly opposed - my eldest brother had not long returned from eight years in India with the army and was now in the Aldershot area training recruits. My father had survived the depression years in steady employment with the railway and it was my parents’ desire that I should seek employment as a railway clerk, which offered long-term security and a pension. I had no job when the year ended, so requested that I be allowed to stay on at the Tech; permission was granted. I used to help out in the metal workshops during evening classes, stripping and cleaning machines. After a competition, I was offered employment with the railway. Mr Saggerson accompanied me for a departure interview with the headmaster, Mr Smith, where, after reviewing my record, Mr Smith began berating me for accepting a clerical position. I was thankful for the presence of Mr Saggerson who intervened to mollify the fury of Mr Smith. As it turned out my technical training at Redhill Tech was to serve me well during WW2 and in subsequent years.

About Mr Smith, Henry Thompson writes “I can recall the machine belt which Smith kept in his office as an unspoken threat against bad behaviour. I cannot recall it being used“ Thank goodness he didn’t use it on me, Bill Marsh, to express his displeasure.

With the dispersal of Form 1A/2A, 1937/38, I lost touch with many good friends. I very much would like to learn how they fared in later years and would appreciate any information about them that anybody reading this account can provide.

On the following page is a reproduction of a reference provided by the headmaster, Mr. F.G.Smith, to Bob Fishlock.

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After WW2 I worked at the London Central Divisional Superintendent’s Office of the Southern Railway. This office, at that time, was located in temporary buildings to the west of Redhill Station across from Redhill Tech, so I had a constant reminder of my school days. I left England in the summer of 1948 to start a new life in Canada. I made a short trip back home Christmas 1952 and visited Redhill and some of my old railway friends; there was a long wait before I next saw Redhill Tech.

In 1990 my wife and I, during one of our visits to England, visited Redhill seeking the home of my gt grandparents. I was armed with a video camera, so thought it would be a good idea to take some shots of the school building for my family-research records. I came at a sad time, the demolition had started. A collage of some extracts taken from the video will be found on the next page.

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I have recorded below what I know and what others have told me about the members of Form 1A 1937. Hopefully, in future revisions of this paper I shall be able to add to this information.

Laurence HANSEN
Apprenticed to GPO Telephones at Croydon. Joined thr RAF in 1942

Philip HUMPHREYS
Stayed on at the school until the summer of 1939, then joined London Transport where he was employed for 43 years.
1942 to 1947: RASC and Indian Army

William J MARSH
1939 to 1948: Railway Clerk
1942 to 1947: RAF Radar Mechanic
1947 to 1948: Railway Clerk
1948 to 1969: RCAF
    Some Positions filled:
         Staff Officer (Radar Maintenance), Air Defence Command, four years.
         Lecturer and Standards Officer (Electronics Training), Central Officers’ School, four years.
         Staff Officer (Telecommunications), National Defence Headquarters, two and a half years.
         Scientific Officer, Royal Radar Establishment, Malvern, England, two years.
1969 to 1976: Bell-Northern Research, Ottawa, Manager, Design Documentation, Transmission.
1976 to 1987: Various Electronics Companies, contract work.
1970 to 1987: Proprietor, sheet music and book sales business.

Bill married in Canada and has four sons. After retiring from the RCAF in 1969 he settled in Ottawa, Ontario.

Norman SHIER
Apprenticed to an engineering firm in Croydon which produced bread-making machinery and later went to Scotland where he died about 1985 /1995.

Basil SPENCER
Basil started work in a drawing office in Dorking. During WW2 he served with an army unit. He married, but died young.

Henry E THOMPSON
1939 -1949 Office of White Tomkins and Courage, Reigate
WW2 Served in Bomber Command, RAF as a navigator, commissioned
Immigrated to Canada in 1949
1949 until retirement worked in accounting field with various companies :
    Retail Merchants Association
    Retailers Trust Company (Norfolk Trust Company) - Estate and Trust Officer
    Peat Marwick - Bankruptcy Trustee

Henry married and settled in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, no children. Bill Marsh attended his wedding.

John S WILLETT
I did run into John during the early war years; he had hired a dance band to play at the Oddfellows Hall in Dorking - he made no money on that scheme. I did hear a rumour that he eventually served with the RAF in Canada under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan as a pilot instructor.

---- WILSON
I recently learned that ---- Wilson exploited his natural talents and opened up a Commercial Art business.

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MARSH FAMILIES OF KENT